The present application relates to an illuminating device having a light modulation element expressing scattering property or transparency to light, a display device, and a method of manufacturing the light modulation element.
In recent years, improvement in picture quality and energy saving of a liquid crystal display are progressing rapidly, and a method that realizes improvement in dark-place contrast by partially modulating intensity of light of a backlight has been proposed. Such a method mainly drives light emitting diodes (LEDs) used as a light source of the backlight partially to modulate light of the backlight in accordance with a display image. Also, for a large-sized liquid crystal display, demand for reduction in thickness is increasing as in a small-sized liquid crystal display. Accordingly, an edge light method that disposes a light source at an edge of a light guide plate is attracting attention, rather than a method of disposing a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) or the LED immediately below a liquid crystal panel. In the edge light method, however, it is difficult to perform the partial driving that partially modulates the light intensity of the light source.